Designing Planned Communities Is a Clear Statement of the Design Issues That Are Critical to Creating Livable and Well-Designed Planned Communities
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URBAN DEVELOPMENT DESIGNING PLANNED Th e compositional form of most planned communities defi nes their development struc- ture. Th ey became popular because of development problems that arose under traditional zoning and subdivision regulations, which did not originally include this concept. Th e zoning ordinance regulates land uses and lot sizes. Th e subdivision ordinance regulates DESIGNING PLANNED street and block layouts and requires developers to provide public infrastructure such as streets, sewers, and other utilities. Th ere is a gap here. Neither ordinance gives designers or developers the fl exibility to design a planned community that includes common open space, resource protection, and better and varied design. Th is book shows how to design COMMUNITIES planned communities that overcome these problems. “Designing Planned Communities is a clear statement of the design issues that are critical to creating livable and well-designed planned communities. Professor Man- delker draws on his long experience with planned community and land use regula- tion to explain the meaning of good design for planned communities. He shows how design concepts for planned communities can be translated into effective de- COMMUNITIES sign guidance by local governments. Examples of design standards are provided from comprehensive plans, design guidelines, design manuals, and planned community regulations. Throughout Designing Planned Communities, the reader is taken through the complex problems of design regulation to an eff ective design program that can create planned communities in which we want to live. Planners and lawyers will be interested in what Mandelker has to say about the design issues facing a growing number of planned communities throughout the country. Planning and local government attorneys will fi nd the information about the legality of innovative design plans most interesting and helpful. Mandelker provides examples of localities that have experimented with a variety of design approaches and explores case law that will have an impact on these innovations.” —Michael Allan Wolf, Professor & Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, University of D Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law ANIEL Daniel R. Mandelker is the Stamper Professor of R. M Law at Washington University in St. Louis, where he teaches Land Use Law. His publications include PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS, LAND USE LAW and PLAN- ANDELKER NING AND CONTROL OF LAND DEVELOPMENT. U.S. $XX.XX DANIEL R. MANDELKER www.iuniverse.com Designing Planned Communities Daniel R. Mandelker iUniverse, Inc. New York Bloomington Designing Planned Communities Copyright © 2010 Daniel R. Mandelker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Cover Art: Th e Perry Neighborhood Lane Kendig, Strategic Advisor, Kendig Keast Collaborative Back Cover Photo: Washington University Mary Butkus iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: iUniverse 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.iuniverse.com 1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677) Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. Th e views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. ISBN: 978-1-4502-0923-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-4502-0925-0 (cloth) ISBN: 978-1-4502-0924-3 (ebook) Printed in the United States of America iUniverse rev. date: 03-08-10 For Daniel Forever Blessed Contents Preface and Acknowledgments...................................................................xv Chapter The Design Problem in Planned Communities ...............1 What Planned Communities Are and Why We Have Them ...............1 The Design Focus ...............................................................................4 Defining Design Standards for Planned Communities........................ 7 How Design Standards Should be Used ..............................................8 Marketing Decisions and Product Mix ............................................. 12 Design Frameworks for Planned Communities .................................12 • Natural Resource Preservation Areas and Common Open Space .............13 • Carrying Capacity Studies ...................................................................14 • Landscaping .......................................................................................15 • Circulation Systems, Streets, Roads, and Other Infrastructure .................16 Streetscapes and Parking ...................................................................18 Social Programs in Planned Communities ........................................ 18 Conclusion ....................................................................................... 19 Chapter Creating Designs for Planned Communities .................20 The Planned Community Project Level ............................................20 The Town or Village Center ............................................................. 25 Neighborhood and Village ................................................................28 Sites, Buildings, and Streetscapes ..................................................... 32 The Architectural Pattern Book .......................................................34 Conclusion ....................................................................................... 36 Chapter Design Standards in Comprehensive Plans, Guidelines, and Manuals .................................................................37 Design Policies in Comprehensive Plans ...........................................38 vii • Design Concepts Plan in Franklin, Tennessee .........................................38 • Character Areas in Gilbert, Arizona .....................................................41 • Resource Management Area System Plan in Sarasota County, Florida .....41 Subarea Plans with Design Policies ................................................... 47 • Houghton Area Master Plan in Tucson, Arizona ....................................47 • North City Future Urbanizing Area Plan in San Diego .........................48 Specific Plans ....................................................................................51 Design Guidelines and Manuals ....................................................... 53 • Design Guidelines in Scottsdale, Arizona ............................................53 • Guidelines for Building Sites, Buildings, and Streetscapes .......................54 • Design Manuals ..................................................................................56 Conclusion ......................................................................................58 Chapter Design Standards in Zoning Ordinances .......................60 Design Standard Categories ..............................................................61 Statements of Purpose ...................................................................... 62 Regulatory Design Standards ............................................................64 • Basic Design Themes ............................................................................64 • Detailing Design Standards for Planned Communities ..........................66 • Superior Design Requirement ...............................................................69 • Compatibility with Surrounding Area ..................................................69 Consideration Design Standards .......................................................70 Pattern Books .................................................................................. 71 Site, Building, and Streetscape Design Standards ..............................74 Administration: Requiring Information for the Review of Design Plans................................................................................................. 80 Conclusion ....................................................................................... 81 Chapter The Constitutionality of Design Standards in Planned Community Regulations ...............................................82 The Constitutional Problem .............................................................82 Challenging Design Standards in Court ........................................... 85 Standards in Planned Community Regulations Held Valid ...............87 Standards in Planned Community Regulations Held Invalid ............ 92 viii Design Standards in Appearance and Design Review Codes ............. 93 Conclusion ....................................................................................... 97 Bibliography ............................................................................................. 99 ix List of Featured Articles Establishing a Design Foundation for Planned Communities Darcie White, AICP, Principal, Clarion Associates 45 Thoughts on Administering Planned Unit Development Regulations Lane Kendig, Strategic Advisor, Kendig Keast Collaborative 77 Aesthetic Regulation as a Proper Governmental Purpose Lauren Ashley Smith, J.D. Cand. 2010, Washington University School of Law 84 xi List of Images, Photos, and Maps Planned Community Components .............................................................3